Amazon Is About to Start Selling Its Own Food and Baby Products

Amazon already sells its own clothing and electronic accessories, but soon, it will begin to sell its own food and baby products, The Wall Street Journal reports. The goods Amazon will sell consist of perishable items like coffee, tea, spices, and baby food, and non-perishables like diapers and detergent. The goods will be sold exclusively to Amazon Prime members, under brand names like Wickedly Prime, Mama Bear, and Happy Belly. All the products will be made in-house, so Amazon can pocket all of its profits. The new private-label brands could launch “as soon as the end of the month,” the Journal reports.

The global food retail market is a $2.14 trillion space, so there’s plenty of opportunity for Amazon, even as food-delivery start-ups rush in to crowd the space. The e-commerce giant has a number of built-in advantages, too. Amazon has a customizable edition of its Dash Button, which literally lets users purchase products at the tap of a physical button they can install in their homes. Amazon Echo allows users to place orders with its voice-assistant technology, and the company also offers a grocery delivery service through AmazonFresh.

The new private-label products will help Amazon diversify its own private-label offerings, and could further incentivize users to sign up for Amazon’s $99-per-year Amazon Prime subscription program, which ensures free, fast shipping, as well as access to things like Amazon’s television and movie-streaming services. Currently Amazon offers its AmazonBasics collection, another private-label brand, which includes everything from re-usable batteries to USB cords. The food market is huge, and Amazon has been selling other companies’ food on its Web site for years, so it’s had time to see what works and what doesn’t. Still, Amazon will have to find a way to convince consumers to move away from their trusted private-label food brands to try Amazon’s own. Last year, Amazon recalled its private Element brand of diapers because of a design flaw. But there’s considerably more risk with making and selling your own food. It’s much easier for consumers to forgive (and eventually forget about) leaky diapers than tainted food. Just ask Chipotle.